LAHORE: To ensure transparency and accountability in its affairs, Punjab Auqaf department has taken stringent disciplinary action against five of its former senior officials and caretakers of Data Darbar for gross negligence, misconduct and systematic embezzlement of amounts (Nazrana) collected through donation boxes.

As the Auqaf department monitored the opening of the donation boxes placed at the shrine for six months, it transpired that the donations registered an increase from Rs4.48 million to Rs7.56 million, despite the fact that the devotees’ visits had declined by almost 50 per cent during the period that witnessed construction work there.

The Auqaf board and provincial minister Chaudhry Shafay Hussain directed investigations into the embezzlement charges under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (Peeda) Act, 2006.

After the formal inquiry into the matter, Auqaf Secretary Dr Ehsan Bhutta, being competent authority, allowed personal hearings to the accused officials and eventually imposed major penalties, besides ordering recovery of the embezzled amounts.

The secretary has imposed strict administrative restrictions, besides directing recovery of Rs20.59m as misappropriated revenue from the accused, altering initial proposals of compulsory retirement due to their short service lengths.

As per the order issued under the Peeda Act, that is available with Dawn, Dr Bhutta, who is also provincial chief administrator of Auqaf, awarded Sheikh Jameel Ahmed, former administrator of Data Darbar, a major penalty of demotion to a lower post (BS-15) and pay scale from his substantive/regular post for a period of five years, alongside the forfeiture of five years of past service. The accused also faces a personal financial recovery of Rs9.266m (as per his 45pc liability share), an adverse entry in his service record, and a permanent ban from being posted in any cash-handling office, donation management point, or field revenue post.

Tahir Maqsood, former manager of Data Darbar, has been handed down a major penalty of removal from government service, coupled with an individual financial recovery of Rs11.325m (as per his 55pc liability share) and a permanent restriction from holding future field postings.

Saqib Naseem, former stenographer at administrator’s office, has been penalised with the forfeiture of four years of past service and an administrative ban, blocking him from confidential branches, administrator offices, media-sensitive offices, or CCTV/security-related assignments.

Muhammad Shareef (ex-caretaker/ Nigraan), who was exonerated from the specific allegations of this inquiry report, faces an immediate directive for the initiation of separate, independent disciplinary proceedings after a viral video-clip exposed him stealing cash from a devotee at the shrine. He is permanently barred from posting at Data Darbar or any other major shrine.

Another ex-caretaker, Noor Hussain, has been deprived of annual increments for a period of three years and also barred from future postings at Data Darbar or any major cash-generating shrine.

Dr Bhutta says corruption within sacred religious institutions constitutes an egregious breach of public trust and will be dismantled through uncompromising legal and administrative mechanisms. “Embezzlement in donations at sacred shrines is a violation of sacred trust of the public,” he asserted.

In a note to the chief minister, through her principal secretary, the secretary had earlier stated that a special team from Auqaf head office was deputed to monitor the cash opening at various shrines in Punjab.

Dr Bhutta stated that the results were tremendous as cash from cash boxes at the Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh (RA) shrine increased from 30pc to 150pc.

Similarly, he says that at the shrine of Bibi Pak Daman (RA), the rate of increase in donations was recorded from 25pc to 90pc, while donations for Zari had also risen at a rate ranging between 92pc and 407pc.

The rates of increase of donations from cash boxes at the shrines of Baba Bulleh Shah, Pir Makki and Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakar (RA) were recorded at 14.41pc, 22.43pc and 39pc, respectively, as per the secretary.

Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026